Plastic nanotechnology for safer, more eco-friendly and competitive cosmetic packages

During 2015, the second part of the project NANOPACK has been developed, co-funded by IVACE and the FEDER funds and where the Plastics Technology Centre (AIMPLAS) and the TECHNOLOGY CENTRE AINIA have participated. The results obtained in this applied research project show that nanoparticles incorporated to polymeric materials (plastics) to obtain cosmetic packages improve their properties, making them safer, sustainable and competitive.

The nanoparticles with which work has been performed in this project (nanoclays and metallic oxides) contribute to bring an added value to the cosmetic packages manufacturing, since:

• They make necessary the use of additional additives and high filler percentages thanks to a higher efficiency of the new material improved with nanoparticles.

• They decrease the amount of raw materials to elaborate packages, with the subsequent cost saving, when replacing the materials formed by multiple layers with materials with only one layer (monolayer).

• They give plastic packages the advanced properties with a higher barrier to gases and best mechanical and thermal properties.

Objective: improve the properties of cosmetic packages with nanomaterials

Plastics are currently the most used material by the cosmetics industry for the package of their products, since they give several advantages regarding design freedom, lightness, resistance and life. NANOPACK has achieved to prove that all these properties can be improved.

It has also been studied the incorporation of these nanoparticles to biopolymers (bioplastics) from renewable sources, thus progressing on the features of these new materials for the cosmetic packaging. For that purpose, they have been assessed what bioplastics have best incorporating possibilities bearing in mind the requirements demanded by cosmetic packages. The results of the project NANOPACK, lasting 24 months and funded by IVACE, may be applicable not only to cosmetics, but also to other sectors with high use requirements, such as the industrial oil packaging sector. NANOPACK is a project framed within the Strategic Development Programme and the aids and subsidies destined to Technology Centres from the Valencian Community between 2011 and 2015. The programme is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER).